Bulky item drop-off — no charge

By Josh Baugh :
January 17, 2013
: Updated: January 18, 2013 12:29am

City workers at the Bitters Recycling Center prepare to position a roll off container at the new bulky drop off location. The city of San Antonio will open its new bulky drop-off location, on Friday, at its Bitters Brush Recycling Center in an attempt to curb prolific illegal dumping. Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013.

Photo By Mike Fisher

The city will open on Saturday the first of two bulky-waste drop-off locations for San Antonio residents. Officials hope to add two more in 2014.

Photo By Bob Owen/San Antonio Express-News

New signage is in place at the Bitters Brush Recycling Center showing the location of the bulky waste drop off. The city of San Antonio will open its new bulky drop-off location, on Friday, at its Bitters Brush Recycling Center in an attempt to curb prolific illegal dumping. Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013.

Photo By Bob Owen/San Antonio Express-News

Construction workers smooth out the walls at the new bulky waste drop off location on Frio City Rd. The city of San Antonio will open its new bulky drop-off location, on Friday, at its Bitters brush recycling center in an attempt to curb prolific illegal dumping. The Frio City Rd. location will be open later this year. Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013.

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Starting Saturday, residents can take everything from old refrigerators to couches and tires (without rims) to a new bulky waste drop-off location at the city's Bitters Recycling Center.

The new service is free to anyone who pays the solid waste environmental fee within their CPS Energy bills — whether they live in a house, an apartment or even in gated communities that don't have city-provided residential waste-hauling.

It's not for businesses, such as contractors hauling commercial waste. They will be turned away — as will folks who don't live in San Antonio.

The city will continue its semiannual curbside bulky-waste pickup. Officials say they hope offering free drop-off sites for bulky waste will reduce illegal dumping across the city.

Today, officials will celebrate the grand opening of the first location, at the Bitters site. In about a month, a second drop-off center will open on the Southwest Side.

During 2013, the department will work to identify two more locations for similar drop-off locations and construct them in 2014, McCary said, covering all four quadrants of the city.

Once the projects are completed, he added, there will be no reason for illegal dumping in San Antonio.

“There's just no excuse at that point,” McCary said.

City Manager Sheryl Sculley said the project makes legal dumping more convenient.

“It's a convenience factor for the public and our attempt to reduce illegal dumping in the community,” Sculley said.

When residents arrive at the Bitters site, a site manager will request to see their CPS Energy bill and then direct them to one of 16 parking spaces to unload waste into large roll-off containers.

Certain items, such as fridges, will go into specific containers for recycling, McCary said. Others will be filled and taken to local landfills.

Councilman Carlton Soules said the high cost for residents to take their waste to the local landfills encouraged illegal dumping. When that happens, eventually a city crew with heavy machinery will clean up the mess — and then pay to dump it in a landfill.

“This is a way for people to do the right thing and not dump illegally,” he said. “There's no reason for people to dump on the side of the road.”